Hes been instinctual ever since he stepped on the field at Alabama for 290 snaps as a true freshman. Now, those players are linebackers, particularly in sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for strong safeties. Still, at his age, it feels wise to err on the side of caution. Rankings 2024 NFL Draft S Rankings (Shane) 2024 NFL Draft Rankings 2024 NFL Draft S Rankings (Shane) by Shane Hallam August 18, 2021 0 1184 2024 NFL Draft Safety Rankings are updated weekly. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. * No. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. 2018 NFL Draft Safety Rankings - DraftUtopia.com S Rankings 2017 NFL Safety Rankings Projected Rounds: 1. Savage is moving in the right direction but is still a little more flash than substance. Smiths rookie season was in 2012, and he has never had a poor healthy season since that point the kind of consistent excellence that Smith has been able to maintain for the Vikings is freakish at the safety position. Strong safety used to be a coveted specialty role in the NFL, encompassing those who played more like auxiliary linebackers and patrolled the box, defending the run and covering short zones underneath. One could not find a pass rusher more productive than Will Anderson Jr. over the past two seasons. Had it not been for injury, James might be the best safety in the league, and football fans everywhere have their fingers crossed that the injury bug is finally behind him so we can see the kind of special player he can be. Thats Branchs game. Hes reportedly reached over 22 mph on the GPS readings, and if you watch his tape from any point this past season, its very believable. The 2023 NFL Draft safety class should provide a deep talent pool throughout Day 2 of the draft. Please check your email for a confirmation. Thats all well and good, but it's fairly meaningless if you cant cover. John Johnson III backed up his fine play in Los Angeles with a solid year in Cleveland. Over the past two seasons, he has 10 picks and four pass breakups. Chinn lined up all over the formation and was more of a matchup weapon than just a safety he played at least 20 snaps at free safety, in the box, covering the slot, lined up as a wide cornerback covering tight ends or backs and even stacked up at the line of scrimmage looking to threaten as part of the pressure package. If Byard can bounce back to his best, he is a top-10 safety in this league. Ward struggled early in his NFL career despite entering the league with the prestige of a first-round pick, but the last two seasons have seen him at his best. 2023 NFL Draft S Rankings (Shane) by Shane Hallam August 17, 2022 0 1430. WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. One player who seems to sit atop big boards around the league is Brian Branch of Alabama. At 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds, New Englands Kyle Dugger has the kind of size to match up with tight ends in the slot, and the Patriots use him in that role a lot. In many schemes, a switch to linebacker may even be in the cards. Hes very solidly built for the position and loves to lay the boom. Lets take a look at the future enforcers in the NFL that have entered their name into the 2021 draft. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. He has a thinner build that brings questions about his sustainability in the run game, but there is no doubt about his immediate upside as a pass rusher. You wont find many true freshman starters on defense at Alabama for head coach Nick Saban. 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Reid was dragged down by the unit as a whole in 2020, and his coverage grade of 67.2 was the lowest of his career, but his previous two seasons had been flirting with an 80.0 grade, and he has increased the number of defensive stops he has made each season. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. It would have been easy for Marcus Williams to allow his career to be haunted by the Minneapolis Miracle, when he showed up with the worst single play of his career at the biggest moment. Brown may very well have the best movement skills of any safety in the draft class. Jamal Adams was thought to be this matchup weapon on defense, a player capable of lining up anywhere and doing his job well, But in Seattle, he has been struggling badly in any role other than one close to the line of scrimmage as more of a classic strong safety. After ranking the best players at every position as a part of PFF's 2021 NFL season preview, we Which prospects should boost their draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine? The Fighting Illini secondary was no joke in 2022, and Martin was a big reason why. His range is average at best, and his change-of-direction ability doesn't come close to that of others on this list. USA Today Network NFL reporters break down the draft position-by-position. Noah Sewell is the younger brother of Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell. The Florida State product posted an overall PFF grade of 87.8 as a rookie, but he has played just 299 total snaps in the two seasons since. The best days of Devin McCourty may be in the past. The strong safeties of old continue to be replaced by hybrid matchup defenders, players who can line up in the box but also cover tight ends and running backs in single coverage from the slot or in other alignments as if they were cornerbacks. The worry is what happens when he cant play around the line of scrimmage. A few years ago, this meant Earl Thomas-type players who occupied the single-high zone in defenses playing almost exclusively Cover 3 or Cover 1. Now he is a year removed from that injury, and a return to that PFF coverage grade of 78.0 or better this season would see Thornhill likely even climb higher on this list. JL Skinner will be one of the more impressive prospects in Indianapolis this week. Sanders, an Alabama transfer, has spot edge rusher potential in addition to having the size necessary to hold up at the point of attack. As part of Athlon Sports' 2020 NFL Draft Guide, we have ranked each position, including 45 total safeties. He is a tall, high-waisted player capable of flashing downhill or impacting pass lanes. Your inbox approves See the data Golfweek's top news 's best, via He has lined up in the slot on more than 200 snaps in a season for the past seven years and should get the chance to replace. 8:58 am ET. Theres nobody better at this than Derwin James. That season brought forth his best career PFF grade by more than 10 grading points, although the campaigns on either side of it might be why the Bengals have seemed reluctant to hand him a monster new contract. See his 2024 Rankings as well! Hes missed 14.9% of his tackle attempts in his career and will have some ugly ones when asked to wrap up from a standstill. 2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings: QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State Height: 5-11. He also forced two fumbles, making five in total over the last two seasons. Savage recorded four picks and seven pass breakups and made several critical hits last year. From the college perspective, here are the best safety prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. Henry To'o'To'o had a higher grade last year than his teammate, Christian Harris, who went No. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Similarly, Justin Simmons 90.7 PFF grade from 2019 represents his career-high by more than 10 grading points. Here are the 10 most physical safety prospects in this class. Justin Reid, S, Stanford: Round 2, 5. WebThe NFL Draft Bible Primer Series concludes with a look at the top safety prospects, as we get set to depart for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, buckle up! 2021 NFL Draft Safety Rankings Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak. Similar to his twin brother Chase, Sydney can flat-out fly. Smith may be declining from his elite best (his past two seasons have earned PFF grades of 74.3 and 77.9, down from 90.0-plus), but he still ranked 12th at the position in 2021 for a defense that lost a lot of talent. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. His in-season tape is clear evidence, but you can also watch the practice/training camp footage that emerges every year of James going one on one with Keenan Allen one of the best route-runners in the game and covering him like a blanket. Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama: Round 1, 4. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2023 class and view expert mock drafts. He finished the year with 34 total pressures, 15 more than any other safety. 2023 NFL Draft Safety Rankings includes a prospect ranking, a breakdown of scouting for the position, key questions about the position, and a link to learn more.. 2023 NFL Mock Draft Safety Rankings: Brian Branch, Alabama; Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M; Jordan Battle, Alabama; Jammie Robinson, Florida State 2021 NFL Draft Safety Rankings 1. He has lined up in the slot on more than 200 snaps in a season for the past seven years and should get the chance to replace Malcolm Jenkins in that matchup role within New Orleans' defense this year. For the purpose of the NFL Draft Bible big board, we have done our best to separate prospects into free safety and strong safety designations. Trenton Simpson and Drew Sanders will almost certainly be the first two linebackers off the board. Thankfully, that couldnt be further from the truth with Branch. Alabama head coach Nick Saban entrusted Branch with a significant share of the responsibility in that scheme. Techie with an interesting slant on player evaluation? Over the past two seasons, he has 177 pass-rushing snaps on the blitz and has racked up 27 total pressures on those rushes. Coverage is king in todays NFL, and the safety position is pivoting toward players who excel deep downfield. As we look ahead to the next big mile marker in the predraft process, the NFL Scouting Combine, heres an updated look at how we rank the top safety prospects in this years draft: Sign up for the The Draft Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Clark is good enough at everything to be the kind of versatility player the Ravens covet in their secondary. Lets dive into PFF's top 32 safeties entering the 2021 NFL season. 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